Southern administrative staff to receive raises

Deanne Johnson

newsroom@reviewonline.com

SALINEVILLE — The administrative staff at Southern Local Schools will receive a 1 percent pay increase in its last pay of December.

On Wednesday, board members unanimously approved the increase, which was reportedly not a surprise and was listed in the State Teachers Retirement System contract. The increase is for fiscal year 2018 and 2019.

Additionally, the board approved the contracts for Debbie Lyle and Julie Dowling for handling requisition forms, which are now submitted digitally.

The school calendar was passed for the 2019-2020 school year with school scheduled to start for students on Aug. 22.

During the meeting, the board watched a video presentation by art instructor Kimberly Adams, who led a group of students and teachers in creating artwork on the walls in a hallway at the high school during Thanksgiving break. Besides adding school colors to the previously bland wall, the art said, “Tribe is” followed by a list of words including respect, belief, excellence and trust.

Adams said she had staff and students volunteer to participate in the project and in future similar projects planned in other hallways in the school. The painting of the one hallway took 61 hours, but Adams said the reaction was great from high school students and even the younger ones, including one kindergartener who asked when they were going to paint their hallway.

“Thank you very much,” board member Mike Abraham said following the video depicting footage of the work being done. “We’ve had a lot of compliments on it.”

In other matters:

— High school principal Gerald DelBoccio reported Southern recently received an award from state Sen. Joe Schiavoni for their accomplishments during the 2017-2018 school year.

— DelBoccio also spoke about a STEM grant they are applying for which could lead to college level courses being offered which would be pathways for students interested in becoming nurses and x-ray technicians.

— The board approved a junior high student council field trip to Washington D.C. from May 10 to May 12.